Description
The field of IR has only recently discovered the concept of collective memory and has yet to fully integrate it as a framework or model for explaining either foreign policy or grand dynamics in international relations. As a cultural system, collective memory is a social fact, and it matters: through commemorative practices, rituals of remembrance, and the active work of various agents of memory, the past can be used to explain and justify the present. In times of crisis and uncertainty, the past is a salient resource to interpret the current situation, predict likely trajectories and advocate different policies and choices for the future. Closely tied to identity, collective memory in IR is commonly thought of in terms of its role in constructing, reproducing and contesting (national) political identities. In this context, it has been shown how the past can shape the course of a state’s foreign policy and diplomacy, relying on the past as an analogy or historical context.
This panel seeks to contribute to this ongoing discussion and broaden it by addressing the following questions: how can IR contribute to the continuously evolving field of memory studies? how can collective memory be used as a concept that goes beyond foreign policy and explain international phenomena such as state sovereignty, international security, human security, and trauma? In light of globalization processes, how can collective memory serve to better understand nationalism and global politics? How does the past relate to notions of power, practices and politics in the international arena? Is the past a resource or a burden?
